Dispensing valve



Nov. 23, 1965 A. E. WILLIAMS ETAL 3,219,059

DISPENS ING VALVE Filed April 18, 1962 A7' TOP/VE VS United States Patent() 3,219,059 DISPENSING VALVE Arthur E. Williams, 5807 Sherwood Forest Drive, El Sobraute, Calif., and Charles H. Jansen, 629 26th St., Richmond, Calif.

Filed Apr. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 188,389 4 Claims. (Cl. IS7-625.3)

This invention relates to valves and more particularly to improved dispensing valves for liquids.

A wide variety of valves are available for controlling fluid flow, but many of these valves have specilic disadvantages when they are used for specific applications. One application where many disadvantages are encountered is the use of valves for dispensing liquids as for instance in production lines where containers are to be filled with liquids supplied from a reservoir. Many valves are not suitable for these applications because of disadvantages inherent in the valve. Thus, many valves operate too slowly or dispense the liquid at such a slow rate that they introduce excessive delay into the production line; m-any valves are not readily adapted for operation by remote power sources so that their operation cannot be synchronized with automatic container handling machinery; other valves while capable of rapid operation responsive to remote power source produce liquid hammer when operated rapidly or produce excessive foaming or frothing when used to dispense certain liquids from high pressures or at high flow rates, etc.

It is an object of this invention to provide a valve for controlling uid flow which is particularly useful for dispensing liquids.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispensing valve for lling liquid containers which can be opened and closed rapidly and which when opened can dispense liquids at high ow rates.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a dispensing valve which will be maintained closed if the power source operating the valve fails.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a dispensing valve in nwhich minimum force need be supplied from the remote power source to actuate the Valve and in which the valve will remain closed when the power source is de-energized and will not permit liquid leakage regardless of the pressure of the liquid which it dispenses.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a power operated dispensing valve in which fouling of the power oper-ation means by the liquid being dispensed is absolutely prevented.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a dispensing valve which can dispense liquids at high pressures and at high flow rates without causing any frothing or foaming of the liquid.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a dispensing valve which may be assembled and repaired as easily as possible while providing a valve structure susceptible of long periods of troublefree use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the att-ached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of a valve con- -structed in accordance with the principles of this invention, and

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the valve of FIG. 1 taken along the plane indicated Iat 2--2 in FIG. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the valve shown therein includes a generally T-shaped body having an elongated central passageway therein terminating in a discharge end 12 with a lateral supply passageway 14. The longitudinal passageway in the body 10 has ice an annular recessed portion 16 intermediate of its ends communicating with the supply passageway 14.

A sleeve 18 is mounted in the passageway in the body 10 retained in place by snap rings 20 and 22, and a plurality of O-rings are mounted in the periphery of the sleeve 18 providing uid seals between the sleeve 18 and the body 10, one O-ring 24 being provided adjacent to the end of the sleeve near the discharge port 12, and upper and lower O-rings 26 and 28 respectively being provided near the opposite end of the sleeve so that the annular recessed portion 16 of the passageway in the body 10 is between the O-rings 24 and 28.

A plurality of apertures 30 extend through the wall of the sleeve 18 with the apertures being divided into six lines equally spaced around the circumference of the sleeve (see FIG. 2) with the apertures in each line extending axially of the sleeve throughout substantially the full length of the recessed portion 16 of the body 10. The apertures 30 are preferably sulliciently large and provided in a sufficiently large number that their cumulative cross sectional area approaches the cross sectional area of the discharge and inlet passageways 12 and 14 respectively so that when all of the apertures 30 are uncovered, they provide for substantially unrestricted passage of liquid from the inlet to the outlet. In this regard, it may be noted that the cumulative cross sectional area of the apertures 30 may be somewhat less than the area of the inlet and the outlet, but preferably the cumulative area of the apertures 30 is at least halt of the area of the inlet.

A piston 32 is mounted in the sleeve 18 for longitudinal movement therein, and upper and lower O-rings 34 and 36 respectively are provided in recesses in the sleeve 18 surrounding the piston 32 near the seals 26 and 28 respectively. A sealing cup 38 is mounted on the lower end of the piston 32 by means of a washer 40 and screw 42. A plurality of apertures 44 are provided in the sleeve 18 between the O-rings 34 and 36, and a telltale leakage port 46 is provided in the body 10 between the O-rings 26 and 28 to permit fluid which passes through the apertures 44 to escape from the body 10.

When the dispensing valve is employed for dispensing liquids, the supply passageway 14 is connected to a suitable source of the liquid to be dispensed such as a pump 48 and reservoir 50, and the discharge end 12 of the valve is positioned over a container to be lilled or may be threaded upon a conduit such as a short length of rubber hose for conveying the liquid from the valve to the container. With the valve so connected, and the piston 32 in the position in which it is illustrated in FIG. 1, the pressure of the fluid in the conduit 14 is applied to the piston radially with no axial component of pressure which would tend to cause the piston to creep. In this condition, the piston covers the apertures 30 and provides fluid seals at the O-ring 36 and cup 38 on either side of the apertures to maintain the valve in closed condition. When it is desirable to open the valve to dispense a quantity of liquid, the piston 32 is moved upwardly in the sleeve 18 to either partially or completely uncover the apertures 30 so that liquid flows from the passageway 14 into the recessed portion 16 in the body 10, hence radially through the apertures 30 and out through the discharge end 12 of the valve. If any fluid leakage should occur around the O-rings 28 or 36 when the valve is closed or if any fluid should be drawn past the O-ring 36 as the piston is moved upwardly in the sleeve, the uid will escape from the valve through the apertures 44 and telltale leakage port 46 to provide a visible indication of seal leakage before the leaking fluid is permitted to foul any power means which are used to actuate the piston.

It should be noted that only minimum forces are required axially of the piston to move the piston between closed and open positions regardless of the pressure of the liquid in the supply passageway 14 so that the valve may be opened and closed very rapidly by simple power means which can be synchronized with container filling machinery. In the valve illustrated in FG. 1, the power means for operating the valve is a pneumatic cylinder though other devices such as solenoids might also be employed.

A flange 52 is mounted on the upper end of the body 10 welded thereto and is provided with an air supply tube 54 extending therethrough; the air supply tube may be connected to any suitable operating means to supply compressed air to the tube 54 to open the valve. A cylindrical sleeve S6 is mounted on the iiange 52 by a snap ring 58 which holds the flange 52 against a shoulder in the sleeve 56, and the periphery of the iiange 52 is provided with an O-ring 60 providing a fiuid seal between the flange 52 and sleeve 56.

An auxiliary piston 62 is mounted in the sleeve 56 and attached to the piston 32 by suitable means such as the threaded connection illustrated, with an O-ring 64 being provided on the periphery of the auxiliary piston 62 so that a chamber is defined between the fiange 52 and auxiliary piston 62 with the tube 54 being positioned to deliver air to this chamber to actuate the valve piston 32. A cap member 66 is mounted in the upper end of the sleeve 56 retained in place by a snap ring 68, and the cap member carries a central sleeve 70 thereon in which a compression spring 72 is mounted for resiliently urging the piston 32 to its valve closing position, An atmospheric vent 74 is provided in the sleeve 70.

While one specific embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein, it is obvious that many modifications of the structure disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A valve for dispensing liquids which comprises:

(A) a valve body having (l) an elongated passageway therein with (a) first and second ends and (b) a recessed portion intermediate of its ends, (2) iiuid inlet means communicating with said recessed portion of said passageway, and (3) fiuid outlet means communicating with said first end of said passageway; (B) a sleeve mounted in said passageway extending through said recessed portion and having (1) an open end communicating with said outlet means and (2) a plurality of axially and circumferentially distributed perforation therein communicating with said recessed portion and facing toward each other across said passageway;

(C) means providing uid seals between said body and said sleeve on both sides of said recessed portion;

(D) a piston mounted in said sleeve and having (1) first and second ends adjacent to said first and second ends of said body respectively and (2) fluid seal means on its first end providing a fiuid seal between said piston and said sleeve;

(E) means providing a fiuid seal between said piston and said sleeve in an area between said perforations and said second end of said body;

(F) spring means engaging said second end of said piston and resiliently urging said piston toward said first end of said body, and

(G) valve actuating means for moving said piston in opposition to said spring means to a valve open position with said piston located completely on the opposite side of said peforations from said outlet means whereby said piston in said valve open position is completely withdrawn from the iiow stream between said perforations and said outlet means.

2. The valve of claim 1 characterized further in that said valve actuating means comprises a chamber mounted on said second end of said body and having a second piston therein movable longitudinally of said body and connected to said first piston with said spring means mounted in said chamber and engaging said second piston, and inlet means for supplying fluid to said chamber to move said second piston away from said first end of said body.

3. The valve of claim 1 characterized further in that said means providing fluid seals between said piston and said sleeve and said body include upper and lower pairs of seals spaced apart longitudinally of said body with each pair providing a fluid seal between said body and said sleeve and between said sleeve and said piston, and fluid escape means is provided between said pairs of seals for permitting fluid flow from the surface of said piston to the exterior of said body.

4. The valve of claim 1 in which said fiuid seal means on said piston comprises a resilient cup mounted on said first end of said piston and having a peripheral flange extending toward said second end of said piston and a retainer disc having a diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of said sleeve and mounted on said first end of said piston with said cup clamped between it and said piston.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 404,266 5/1889 Dowling 137-625.33 2,126,739 8/1938 Corbin 251-324 X 2,989,081 6/1961 Olsen 137-625.37 3,026,266 3/1962 Rossi 251-62 X FOREIGN PATENTS 567,808 6/1958 Belgium.

110,669 3/ 1899 Germany.

8,372 1914 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES German application 1,114,731, printed Oct. 5, 1961 (KI. 78c20).

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

MILTON KAUFMAN, Examiner. 

1. A VALVE FOR DISPENSING LIQUIDS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A VALVE BODY HAVING (1) AN ELONGATED PASSAGEWAY THEREIN WITH (A) FIRST AND SECOND ENDS AND (B) A RECESSED PORTION INTERMEDIATE OF ITS ENDS, (2) FLUID INLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RECESSED PORTION OF SAID PASSAGEWAY, AND (3) FLUID OUTLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FIRST END OF SAID PASSAGEWAY; (B) A SLEEVE MOUNTED IN SAID PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID RECESSED PORTION AND HAVING (1) AN OPEN END COMMUNICATING WITH SAID OUTLET MEANS AND (2) A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISTRIBUTED PERFORATION THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RECESSED PORTION AND FACING TOWARD EACH OTHER ACROSS SAID PASSAGEWAY; (C) MEANS PROVIDING FLUID SEALS BETWEEN SAID BODY AND SAID SLEEVE ON BOTH SIDES OF SAID RECESSED PORTION; (D) A PISTON MOUNTED IN SAID SLEEVE AND HAVING (1) FIRST AND SECOND ENDS ADJACENT TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND ENDS OF SAID BODY RESPECTIVELY AND (2) FLUID SEAL MEANS ON ITS FIRST END PROVIDING A FLUID SEAL BETWEEN SAID PISTON AND SAID SLEEVE; (E) MEANS PROVIDING A FLUID SEAL BETWEEN SAID PISTON AND SAID SLEEVE IN AN AREA BETWEEN SAID PERFORATIONS AND SAID SECOND END OF SAID BODY; (F) SPRING MEANS ENGAGING SAID SECOND END OF SAID PISTON AND RESILIENTLY URGING SAID PISTON TOWARD SAID FIRST END OF SAID BODY, AND 